Market Harborough Building Society marks £1 million milestone in community giving

23 April 2026

Complex case and bridging finance specialist Market Harborough Building Society has reached a significant milestone, committing £1 million to local good causes that matter most to its customers and communities over the past three years. Funding has already delivered alongside further investment currently held within the Society’s Charitable Foundation to support future impact.

The milestone reflects more than the scale of the Society’s giving. It demonstrates how Market Harborough Building Society’s Thrive! Agenda has evolved into a defining part of how it operates as a mutual lender, shaping decision making, strengthening local resilience and supporting long term financial confidence for members.

Speaking about the milestone, Iain Kirkpatrick, Chief Executive of Market Harborough Building Society, said:

“Reaching £1 million is something we are incredibly proud of, but it is not about the number. It is about what that investment makes possible for the people and communities we serve. As a mutual, our success is shared. Every savings account, every mortgage and every decision we make feeds back into helping our customers and communities thrive.”

Three years ago, the Society reflected on whether its community support fully reflected what it stands for as a lender focused on long term stability rather than short term gain. That reflection led to the creation of Thrive! - a single shared agenda designed to help customers and communities not simply cope with challenges, but move forward with confidence.

The first step came in January 2023, when the Society made a £100,000 donation to local foodbanks across its heartland, supporting families affected by the rising cost of living. While this responded to immediate need, it also marked the start of a broader commitment to strengthening communities and building resilience for the long term.

Since then, Thrive! has developed into a sustained Agenda that supports financial confidence, resilience and opportunity. The Society’s most recent initiative, Thrive! Forward, forms a central part of its approach to supporting young people, with the programme focusing on financial resilience, mental wellbeing and employability skills.

Alongside Thrive! Forward, investment has been directed towards practical, everyday community needs that support local economies. This includes assistance for families facing cost of living pressures, restoring access to essential banking services through the introduction of the OneBanx machine in Market Harborough following high street bank closures, opening up the Society’s head office as a community hub, and backing grassroots organisations through partnership with the Leicester & Rutland Community Foundation.

The Society is currently supporting over 1,300 young people through the Thrive Forward programme, welcomed more than 5,000 people to community activities and events at its Newcombe House head office in the past year, and supported over 300 local groups and organisations through volunteering, community hub space, funding and prize draw donations.

Today, Thrive! is no longer a standalone initiative. It is embedded in the Society’s culture and decision making, guiding how it does business and how it reinvests profits for the benefit of members and communities.

What began as a single good action has become part of who Market Harborough Building Society is today, reinforcing its role as a community focused mutual lender committed to long term resilience, sustainable growth and meaningful impact.

Market Harborough is recognised for its flexible approach to simple and more complex mortgage cases up to £5m, including clients with non standard income, unusual property types, multi generation and joint borrower sole proprietor cases, expats, borrowing into retirement and multi layered cases. The specialist lender’s range of mortgages is tiered based on complexity, with solutions for larger loans, expats, holiday let, buy to let and bridging finance.

More information about the specialist lender can be found by calling 01858 412345 or visiting www.mhbs.co.uk/intermediaries.